Carla Saulter has been living without a car—and using public transit as her primary form of transportation—since March of 2003. Though she gave up driving because of concerns about the detrimental effects of car culture (pollution, traffic, sprawl), the decision has profoundly and positively changed her life. Some of these positive changes include: enforced exercise, time to read, reduced expenses, and contact with her community on a level that would never have been possible in the isolated bubble of a single-occupancy vehicle.

Some bus routes I like

Despite the fact that the 4 stops right in front of my house; despite the fact that it takes me to downtown, the Seattle Center (basketball!), and Queen Anne (home of 5 Spot); despite the fact that Smooth Jazz is one of the regular drivers, the 4 is one of my least favorite routes–especially in the middle of the day. I can deal with the fact that it is crowded and noisy (can’t be mad at a lot of people riding), but crowded+noisy+angry+slow is a combination I can’t work with. Because of all the folks (many committing multiple bus fouls), it crawls along at a pace I could beat walking, and at least when I’m walking, there isn’t someone cursing his head off in my ear. Well, at least not usually.

After a particularly excruciating ride on the 4 yesterday, I got to thinking about what makes a bus route “good.” Here are the factors that I consider:

• Destination: If a bus goes somewhere I need to go frequently–or somewhere I like to go frequently–it gets extra points.
• Speed: A little meandering can make a ride pleasant, but if I can walk faster than the bus can get me there, it ain’t my kind of ride.
• Flavor: This has to do with the culture of the bus (Who rides it? Are they all quiet and boring? Do they talk to each other? Do they yell? Do they fight? Do they commit bus fouls?) and the “vibe” (Is it generally negative or positive?).

With these criteria in mind, here are some of my favorites:

27: In contrast to the slow, noisy 4 is the speedy, efficient 27. This bus also stops right in front of my house and also takes me downtown. It doesn’t go to Queen Anne or Seattle Center, but to make up for that, the east-bound route takes me straight to the lake. The 27 still has flavor, but it’s missing the negative energy (I’d call it “4 light”), and though it’s sometimes crowded, it always makes good time.

48: This is the longest bus route in the city. It goes all the way from Rainier Beach to the north end without once getting on the freeway. I take it both ways–to Columbia City, to the U District, to Greenlake, and, if I’m going to the Eastside, to Montlake. I also take it to church, which is just a few stops north of my house. Because of the length of the route and the neighborhoods it travels through, the 48 has an interesting mix of people, and the flavor of the bus continues to change as people get on and off.

545: OK, so this route is not very useful unless you live in Seattle and work in Redmond (or vice versa, I suppose), and even though this is no longer true for me (I get to stay in Seattle all day now!), I still love the 545. It is fast, always packed, and (if you can find a seat) comfortable. On a clear day, you can’t beat the view on the way across the lake, and I gotta say: I love the Capitol-Hill-hipster-meets-supernerd flavor.

194: The 194 goes from downtown to the airport (and then, I think, to Federal Way). If you live in or near downtown, it’s just as fast as a shuttle or a cab, and you can’t beat the price. There’s a good mix of “regulars” (south-end dwellers) and newbies (airport types), and it’s fun to make up destinations for all the folks with luggage.